UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NUBIA MUSEUM IN AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION IN CAIRO

SIXTEENTH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel 16-21 December 2006 FINAL REPORT

INTRODUCTION

1. The 16th Session of the Executive Committee of the International Campaign for the Establishment of the Nubia Museum in Aswan and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) in Cairo was held in Cairo, Aswan and Abu Simbel from 16 to 21 December 2006.

2. The representatives of fourteen countries (Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, , Finland, Greece, Islamic Republic of , , Latvia, Poland, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland) elected by the General Conference of UNESCO at its 33rd Session, participated in the meeting. Representatives of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) attended the meeting as observers. (see Annex 1: List of participants).

2. Dr Vatandoust previous Chairman of the Executive Committee welcomed the participants to the 16th Session and thanked the Egyptian authorities for hosting the meeting in their country. He then gave the floor to Dr Z. Hawass, Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

3. Dr Z. Hawass warmly welcomed the fourteen Member States and Observers and thanked them for their participation in the above meeting. He gave a brief outlook of the situation of museums in Egypt and stressed that the approach towards museums had changed in Egypt in the past years, considering the museum as a place where learning and education play a major role. He then mentioned that thirteen museums are about to open in Egypt and pointed out that preserving collections is of major importance. In particular, he gave the example of the Great (GEM), which will collect 50,000 artifacts. He then gave a brief presentation on museums recently opened to the public such as the Imothep Museum, in Saqqara and Al Ahrish Museum in the Sinai. Dr Hawass further described the project of museums which shall open in the near future such as the Crocodile Museum on Kom Ombo Island, dedicated to the cult of Sobbek.

4. Dr Hawass mentioned that NMEC is part of the above framework of restructuring and establishing museums in Egypt. NMEC will host major educational activities. In order to attract foreign visitors, NMEC will exhibit the Royal Mummies collections, currently exhibited at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

1 5. He further stressed that the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, will be targeted as part of the museums’ reorganization in Egypt and will continue to be a major pole of attraction for tourists. In this context, a project for its rehabilitation is ongoing, and the rehabilitation work has already started in the storage areas. He then mentioned that the circulation inside the museum is being reviewed, air conditioning added and commercial areas expanded. Moreover a database is currently under preparation by the SCA. Dr Hawass insisted on the importance of establishing a long-term training programme for museum professionals and expressed the wish that this activity be jointly carried out with UNESCO in view of opening a School of Museum Studies in Cairo as soon as possible.

6. Dr Hawass expressed his pleasure in seeing the first presentation on the NMEC to the public on the occasion of the exhibition Sunken Treasures of Egypt at the Grand Palais in Paris. He further stressed that this presentation on NMEC would be integral part of two traveling exhibitions: Sunken Treasures of Egypt and Tutankhamen. He further mentioned that the collections presented at the Grand Palais could be presented permanently at NMEC.

7. He further wished the Executive Committee a successful meeting and fruitful visits to the archaeological sites of Nubia and gave the floor to Mr Gadi Mgomezulu, Director of the Division of Cultural Heritage at UNESCO.

8. On behalf of the Director-General, Mr Gadi Mgomezulu welcomed the participants to the opening session of the Executive Committee. He particularly thanked the Egyptian authorities represented by Dr Z. Hawass, Mr A. Abdel Moneim Director of NMEC and Arch. Ahmed Hussein, Secretary General of the Nubia Trust Fund for hosting the meeting in Cairo, Aswan and Abu Simbel. He recalled the long lasting collaboration between UNESCO and the Egyptian authorities in safeguarding and protection of Egypt’s rich cultural heritage. He then focused on the activities jointly undertaken in the framework of the above International Campaign and stressed the importance of the work achieved in the past year with particular attention to the first international exhibition on NMEC at the Grand Palais in Paris. He then presented the works in course of achievement at the Nubia Museum, such as the refurbishing of the Documentation Center on Nubian Studies and the library and finally the activities undertaken in favour of the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum.

9. The Director of the Division of Cultural Heritage called for the election of the new Chairman and Rapporteur of the Executive Committee. Unanimously, Dr Rasool Vatandoust, representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was reelected Chairman of the Executive Committee. Mrs Claire Simard, representative of Canada, was elected Rapporteur of the Executive Committee.

The agenda was adopted as follow: i. Opening of the session ii. Adoption of the agenda iii. The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (a) Report of Secretariat (b) Report by the Egyptian authorities (c) Discussion and decision of the follow up of activity iv. The Nubia Museum (a) Report of Secretariat (b) Report by the Egyptian authorities (c) Discussion and decision of the follow up of activity v. Discussion and recommendations

2 THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION IN CAIRO

11. Progress of work and implementation of recommendations by the Secretariat:

i. Mrs A. Paolini, Secretariat of the Committee, presented the UNESCO report on the implementation of the recommendations of the 15th Session of the Executive Committee related to NMEC, with a detailed account of the expenses inccurred under each recommendation. The Secretariat informed the Committee that the following activities were undertaken since the 15th Session in favour of NMEC. ii. Following four missions of experts in museology to Cairo including a long-term mission for a period of three months of a UNESCO consultant, the museological programme of NMEC has been finalized in joint collaboration with the NMEC Scientific Committee. In this framework, the Quebec Civilization Museum in Canada also provided its support and expertise. The museological programme was entrusted to the interior designer Arata Isozaki as a comprehensive document for the conception of the museography of the permanent galleries. iii. The Secretariat then presented the activities carried out for the establishment of the conservation workshops of NMEC, including materials, equipments etc... Following five UNESCO experts meetings at HQs and two experts’ missions to Cairo the workshops of the museum were completely redesigned in order to gain flexibility, sharing common facilities and increasing natural light. A proposal for the final plans of the workshops was provided to the Egyptian authorities in November 2006 for their final approval. Moreover, the Secretariat reported to the Executive Committee on the support given by UNESCO in other fields such as museum management, documentation of collections, security, landscape architecture and capacity building. iv. Mrs. Paolini then gave a brief overview on the study missions undertaken by the NMEC Director, Head of exhibitions and Secretariat to Canada, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Paris. The visits targeted museums and cultural institution of the same kind (Quai Branly Museum, Quebec Civilization Museum), centers of documentation of Intangible Heritage (Laval University) and conservation restorations workshops (Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Quebec Civilization Museum, Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Relics, ) etc… These visits are indispensable to present to the NMEC Director and his staff the interactivity of different departments of a same institution and make them familiar with technical, organizational and curatorial aspects. The visits made clearer the recommendations of the experts in different fields. The feedback of these visits was very tangible: the museological programme for the Royal Mummies has been based on the methodology presented by the Quebec Civilization Museum, the addition of technical elements such as large elevators for heavy and large objects and the reorganization, refurbishing of storage areas were the results of the same visit. Moreover, she stressed that the Chantier des collections was being developed on the model of the Quai Branly Museum. v. The Secretariat of the Executive Committee concluded presenting the exhibition on NMEC, at the Grand Palais in Paris which was inaugurated on 8 December 2006. The exhibition, opened to the public until 16 March 2007, expects an average of 500,000 visitors. In the framework of the exhibition on the Sunken Treasures of Egypt, the NMEC stand of 30

3 sq m presents a model of the museum, explanations in French and English of the project with pictures and drawings and the collections, bilingual leaflets, and a video. A press kit in French and English has been prepared and high definition digital copies of the kit provided to the Egyptian authorities together with printed copies for diffusion. Articles on NMEC have been published in several newspapers, magazines in France and Egypt, on the web and broadcasted on the radio. This event represents an initial presentation to the public at large of the NMEC project and constitutes a first step in the museum’s communication strategy before its opening.

12. Progress of work and implementation of recommendations by the Egyptian authorities:

i. Mr Ayman Abdem Moneim took the floor and welcomed the Executive Committee and in particular the new Member States elected at the 33rd General Conference. He thanked UNESCO and in particular the Secretariat for the important achievements jointly undertaken in the framework of the International Campaign. He further thanked the Egyptian authorities, H.E. the Minister of Culture, Dr Z. Hawass and the NMEC team working under his direction for the achievements made in the past year. He then presented the implementation status of the NMEC activities starting with the location and site of the museum, in El Fustat area, and its connection with different sites reflecting different periods of Egypt’s past. He stressed that since July 2004, 80% of the building’s construction had been completed.

ii. Mr Abdel Moneim then presented the activities jointly undertaken with UNESCO since the 15th Session of the Executive Committee, starting with the museum’s buildings and site. He then presented the archaeological discoveries with particular attention to the first textile workshops in Egypt. He further stressed that the archaeological discoveries are now fully included in the museum’s site. He mentioned that, as recommended by the Executive Committee during its past Sessions, El Fustat Lake, the only remaining lake out of 13 in Cairo, is now also part of the museum’s site. NMEC targets at first local inhabitants and on a second stage foreign visitors. Mr Abdel Moneim mentioned that, in order to allow the self- sustainability of the NMEC, an economical and urban plan development is under preparation including several infrastructures such as hotels, handicrafts village, shops, restaurants, leisure areas etc. iii. He then focused his presentation on the NMEC storage areas, conservation workshops, laboratories and administrative services thoroughly revised in close collaboration with UNESCO. The final plans are now achieved and the tender document for the purchase of materials and furniture has been launched. He mentioned that temporary storages are currently being used in El Fustat to host the NMEC collection previous to its entering in the museum. Mr Abdel Moneim further informed the Committee that the Chantier des Collections is scheduled to start in September 2007. iv. Finally, regarding the museological programme, he mentioned that the design brief has been provided to the interior designer Arata Isozaki and two meetings have already been held in Cairo on this topic. Concerning the documentation of collections, Mr Abdel Moneim stressed that 30 000 artifacts have been entered in a preliminary database. He further pointed out that a survey on the education system in Egypt had been undertaken in order to adapt the education department of NMEC to the school programmes in Cairo and therefore attract an important amount of school visitors. Finally, he mentioned that a first survey on traditional

4 culture and intangible heritage has been finalized by the Scientific Committee of NMEC. Mr Abel Moneim then mentioned that, as result of the meeting held in Paris in December 2006 with the Musée du Louvre and the Secretariat the possibility to have the master pieces of Egyptian Pharaonic art reproduced in 3D copies at NMEC was explored. He finally presented the NMEC exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. He stressed that this exhibition represented a major opportunity to communicate to the public at larger the NMEC project and he congratulated the Secretariat for the excellent achievement and conveyed the appreciation of the Minister of Culture and President Mubarak. v. In line with the idea expressed by the Vice Chairman, Mr Abdel Moneim further mentioned the importance to create in close collaboration with UNESCO a school of museum studies, located in Cairo. This school shall upgrade the level of Egyptian professionals to international standards and in the timeframe of a decade be able to further train neighboring countries in this field. vi. A short film on the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia and the International Campaign for the NMEC and the Nubia Museum in Aswan was presented to the Executive Committee.

13. The Chairman thanked the Secretariat and the Egyptian authorities for their detailed presentation and opened the floor to discussion. The Executive Committee unanimously congratulated the Egyptian authorities and Secretariat for the work achieved in the past year.

 Concerning interior design and study visits abroad

14. The representative of the Dominican Republic congratulated the work completed in the past year in favor of NMEC and requested further details on the museological programme more particularly he enquired about the choice of the interior designer, based or not on an open competition. She gave the example of the Mexico City anthropological museum, where the evolution of civilization is clearly and pedagogically presented to the public. In this scope, she further stressed that the links between the two institutions could be instated. Since the NMEC will present Egyptian civilization as a whole, she further inquired about the presentation of the intangible heritage and how the use of new technologies would be integrated into the museum course.

15. Concerning the interior design, the Secretariat replied that the architectural competition in 1984 was won by A. Isozaki as interior designer. Since the NMEC is not a museum of works of art exposing only artifacts but a civilization museum, its mandate is to become a cultural center and a research center also for intangible heritage. Moreover, NMEC’s cinema, auditorium and open air auditorium will offer a variety of cultural programmes. The Secretariat stressed that the use of new technologies such as digital videos, holograms, sound recordings, computer programmes and digital communication tools will be extensively used. As for the Mexico museum partnership the Secretariat stressed that study visits to museums of the same kind have been carried out in Paris, Musée du Quai Branly, Canada, Civilization Museum, and that further study visits were foreseen in particular to Leiden, Gottenberg, New York and Singapore.

5 16. Mr Ayman Abdel Moneim further mentioned that relations between Egypt and Mexico were very fruitful in the field of cultural heritage. Moreover he pointed out that a mission of the Egyptian authorities to Mexico is foreseen during spring 2007 to strengthen the relationships between the two countries in the above field. He further stressed that NMEC, being a civilization museum, would provide activities focusing on the transmission of knowledge on the Egyptian civilization and that in this context the education department would play a major role.

17. In the context of the establishment of future partnerships of institutions of the same kind, the representative of Japan stressed that the study visits abroad should target concrete specific outcomes. The Secretariat therefore replied that the study visits had very specific goals. The one week visit of the Musée de la Civilisation in Québec was useful to present the management of an institution of the same kind in its global context. The visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London targeted the textiles conservation department; the visit to Quai Branly focused on the Chantier des collections and the British Museum the mummies’ restoration laboratories. The foreseen visit to New York will concentrate on the marketing and sales department of the Metropolitan Museum. The Secretariat underlined that these missions gave a real input to the NMEC through the visit of concrete examples of points of excellence in different museums.

 Concerning renewable energies and landscape

18. As recommended by the Executive Committee at its previous Session, the representative of ICOMOS stressed the importance for the NMEC to use renewable energies. The Egyptian authorities agreed on the above and pointed out that the recommendation had been taken into consideration, for instance air-conditioning of NMEC has been adapted to recycling methods, the quality of water of the lake has also been improved. He further stressed that the only point which was not integrated in the museum was the issue of solar energy. The Egyptian authorities further mentioned that this renewable energy method is not spread in Egypt and therefore costs of maintenance would be high.

19. The representative of IFLA commented on the issue of NMEC’s landscape which plays a major role. He stressed that the cultural character of the landscape should be kept as much as possible and suggested to establish a land use control regulation in order to control the development which highly increased in the area since the construction of the museum. In this context, he mentioned that the buffer zone between the museum site and the was a very important element in order to introduce the visitors to the museum itself.

 Concerning the web site

20. Following the request of the representative of ICOM concerning the museum’s website, the Secretariat stressed that the NMEC’s website was on line and that the UNESCO’s website had been updated and linked to the NMEC site. The Egyptian authorities further mentioned that the NMEC website was daily updated and that in future, part of the collection’s data would also be made accessible to the public.

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 Concerning training and risk preparedness

21. The representatives of ICOM and ICCROM stressed the importance to undertake long term training for the NMEC staff and foresee a risk preparedness training activity. The Secretariat mentioned that training was a major activity to be undertaken in the year to come, and that before starting the chantier des collections, a general introduction training course for heads of departments was strongly recommended by the UNESCO experts. Risk management would be among the subject of the training. Moreover, the joint UNESCO/ICOM publication “Running a Museum: a Practical Handbook” and “Trainer’s Manual” would be used in this framework.

22. Mr Abdel Moneim mentioned that 30 % of the NMEC staff is already working on site and that the rest of the staff has been identified but is not yet employed and he estimates to 150 the staff needed at the moment of the opening of the museum. Moreover he stated that the organizational chart was currently under finalization and that training would be one of the major activities for NMEC in the coming year. Mr Mgomezulu agreed on the above and further mentioned that training represented the guarantee of NMEC’s self sustainability in the future.

 Concerning the running costs of the museum and maintenance

23. In response to the question of H.E. Ambassador Iten, Permanent Delegate of Switzerland to UNESCO, about the strategy for the recovery of the running costs of the museum, Mr Abdel Moneim replied that, beside government budget, the income of the museum would come from entry fees, commercial areas, coffee shops, restaurants etc. Nevertheless he further stressed that a study was not yet undertaken in this sense. To this end, during a study visit to Paris, the NMEC Director met with the staff in charge of the management of the Carousel du Louvre in order to plan the commercial development of NMEC. He further explained that in his view entertainment, shopping and restaurants represent the three main activities to attract Egyptian visitors. Moreover, in relation with the increasing expenses of the construction of the museum, the Director explained that the budget had increased of 20 % due to the high price of construction materials industries. He also mentioned that originally the construction of NMEC was estimated to take 6 years but was finally reduced to 3 years, as the field work is carried out 7 days a week, 24/24 hours, including a nightshift where dust and debris are removed.

24. The representative of Japan recalled the importance to assure the long-term maintenance of material and equipments such as such as computers, printers, special equipment etc… and that its purchase should be made on the basis of the needs of the museum. The Secretariat replied that the purchase of these equipments was done as much as possible inside Egypt to facilitate issues related to maintenance. Moreover, the most likely provider of the database, MINISIS, was identified by UNESCO and NMEC Director, during the UNESCO mission to Cairo, has an office in Tunisia and could therefore easily cover the maintenance and upgrading of the system.

7  Concerning decentralization and coordination

25. Answering to the request of Mr Chotoku, representative of Japan, recalling UNESCO’s policies to decentralize activities to the field offices, Mrs A. Paolini stressed that the Secretariat of the Executive Committee was based at Headquarters, as all the Secretariat of category 2 committees at UNESCO, and activities punctually decentralized to UNESCO Cairo Office and in particular regarding the Nubia Museum in Aswan. Concerning the assistance to the Secretariat, she stressed that the young professional was appointed as recommended by the Executive Committee at its previous Session to help in the implementation of activities, its salary being covered by the extra budgetary fund of the International Campaign. Moreover, secretarial assistance was also requested in the past months by the UNESCO Cairo Office. The budget has been put at the office’s disposal but remained unspent for complex and involuntary reasons. Nevertheless she mentioned that a UNESCO consultant had been contracted on behalf of the Secretariat at UNESCO Cairo Office to follow up the implementation of activities regarding the Nubia Museum in Aswan.

26. In line with the above, the Director of UNESCO Cairo Office insisted on the need to improve the coordination and collaboration between the field offices and Headquarters.

 Visit of the NMEC museum site

27. The Executive Committee visited the museum site on the afternoon of 16 December 2006. The construction of NMEC is close to completion, the entrance and the galleries buildings are now standing and the Royal Mummies section is completed. It was noted with satisfaction that following the recommendations of UNESCO Secretariat and experts, the space of the Royal Mummies was increased. Nevertheless, since this will represent the key attraction of NMEC, the space made available to the major attraction of the museum is of about 800 on 20 000 sqm of the total exhibition space, is limited and the access narrow so that a very careful management of visitor flow will be needed.

28. The Executive Committee extensively expressed its satisfaction in the work undertaken for the establishment of NMEC. They unanimously congratulated the Egyptian authorities and in particular the NMEC Director for the quality of execution of work, and the achievements made since the previous Committee in 2005.

8 THE NUBIA MUSEUM IN ASWAN

29. Progress of work and implementation of recommendations by the Secretariat:

i. Mrs A. Paolini recalled that the Executive Committee had recommended at its 15th Session to phase out the activities in favor of the Nubia Museum and integrate the museum under UNESCO’s regular budget activities at the end of the present UNESCO biennium. Therefore, the Secretariat proposed that training activities be implemented using the UNESCO/ICOM publications Running a Museum a Practical Handbook and a Trainer’s Manual. Moreover, a series of user friendly booklets with very simple bilingual texts illustrated with comic strips on protection of cultural heritage have been produced by the Secretariat on the following topics: Security at Museums, Care and Handling of Manuscripts, Documentation of Cultural Artifacts. Mrs Paolini mentioned that copies of the joint UNESCO/ICOM publications and the series on Cultural Heritage Handbook had already been provided to the Egyptian authorities. ii. Moreover, Mrs Paolini stressed that the activities in favor of the Nubia Museum focused on three main topics: capacity building activities, establishment of the Documentation Center on Nubian Studies and activities in favor of the National Museum of Sudan. iii. The Documentation Center and library of the Nubia Museum are currently under rehabilitation and refurbishing. The UNESCO consultant based in Cairo is following the implementation of this activity. Additionally, a librarian undertook a mission to Aswan to train the Aswan staff on the reorganization of the library. Exchange of documentation and publications have been undertaken between the National Corporation of Antiquities and Museums and the Nubia Museum in Aswan and purchase of publications and documents was pursued. iv. The Secretariat then presented the outcome of the training course in conservation followed by the monitoring of three research projects in conservation of metal, stone and textiles. As recommended by the Executive Committee, participants from Sudan and from NMEC joined the training. v. Finally the Secretariat presented the activities undertaken in favor of Sudan, such as the exhibition on archaeological sites of Sudanese and Egyptian Nubia, presented at the Khartoum and Aswan museums, the purchase of material and equipment for the conservation department, and the rehabilitation of the shelters of the outdoor Nubian Temples at the National Museum of Sudan in Khartoum.

30. Progress of work and implementation of recommendations by the Egyptian authorities: i. The floor was then given to Mr Ossama Abdel Meguid, Director of the Nubia Museum in Aswan. He thanked the UNESCO Secretariat for providing its support to the Nubia Museum and started his presentation with the training courses in conservation undertaken in 2005 and 2006. He stressed that these courses represented important and successful practical

9 trainings where hands on conservation targeted different types of materials. Mr Abdel Meguid then presented the work achieved for the Documentation Center, and in particular the impressive amount of documents, publications, maps, and pictures gathered from Egypt and abroad. He further mentioned that the Documentation Center should become a reference for Nubian researches. He also stressed that the library is currently under reorganization and refurbishing thanks to the UNESCO support. ii. Furthermore, the Nubia Museum Director presented the educational activities for kids on the making of traditional crafts such as pottery, beads, basketry etc. Different aspects of intangible heritage, in particular traditional music and dances, are also presented through performances in the open air auditorium of the museum. iii. In conclusion the cooperation with Sudan was mentioned. He informed the Committee that the exhibition on archaeological sites of Nubia, in Egypt and Sudan, was currently presented at the Museum. iv. Mr Abdel Meguid concluded on the need for the Nubia museum to renew its presentation and lighting system and wished that collaboration with UNESCO could pursue in the future.

31. The Chairman thanked the Secretariat and the Egyptian authorities for their detailed presentation related to the Nubia Museum and opened the floor to discussion.

 Concerning the recommendation to phase out the activities in favor of the Nubia Museum

32. The Programme Specialist for Culture at UNESCO Cairo Office took the floor and stressed that his office would continue to closely follow the activities in favor of the Nubia Museum through its regular budget activities, in particular through training and collect of documentation on Nubia. He also expressed his satisfaction for the signature of the bilateral agreement in the field of cultural heritage prepared by the Secretariat and signed in 2005 between the Sudanese and Egyptian authorities, and he mentioned to be ready to follow it up.

33. The Egyptian authorities thanked the Committee for the efforts undertaken in favor of the Nubia Museum and stressed that part of the Nubian collections from the Egyptian museum in Cairo would be transferred to the Nubia Museum.

34. Dr H. Idris, representative of Sudan, took the floor and thanked the Egyptian authorities and UNESCO for their fruitful collaboration. He mentioned that the Sudanese authorities were planning to undertake research on archaeological sites in Nubia. He further referred to the strong will of his government to build a Nubia Museum in Wadi Halfa and link it to the Nubia Museum in Aswan in order to build joint activities.

35. Mr Mayer from ICOMOS mentioned that the museum of Nubia in Island, Aswan should be renewed in the coming years due to its poor state of conservation. The two museums on Nubia located in Aswan should coordinate their work in order to avoid duplication.

10 36. H. E. Mrs L. Faxas, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to UNESCO, congratulated the Egyptian authorities and the Secretariat for the work achieved. She further mentioned that, in the framework of the phasing out of activities of the International Campaign in favour of the Nubia Museum, activities should be integrated in UNESCO’s regular budget in line with the mid term strategy of UNESCO 33C4. In this scope, South/South cooperation should be strengthened. She further mentioned that the long lasting experience of this Executive Committee should be part of the UNESCO’s mid term strategy. The representative of Japan agreed on the above and stressed the importance of external evaluation which shall establish concrete recommendations and examples to follow.

 Concerning training

37. The representative of ICCROM took the floor and underlined the importance of the conservation departments in Aswan and NMEC. He questioned the Secretariat on the issue of coordination between NMEC and Nubia Museum on conservation-restoration activities in order to avoid duplication. He further stressed the importance of training the staff on the long term. He mentioned that this point should be raised in order to obtain adapted personnel to run the conservation department of the museum. He also mentioned the problems of restoration’s specialized terminology and its translation in a foreign language.

38. Mr Abdel Moneim agreed on the above and further added that the equipments and materials of NMEC shall be acquired according to its needs and in cooperation with the UNESCO team of experts. The two main museums in Cairo currently under construction, the NMEC and the (GEM) will not duplicate their laboratories and target respective needs. In line with the opening speech of the Vice Chairman of the Committee, he further stressed on the request of the Egyptian authorities to establish with UNESCO’s assistance a school of museum studies. He wished that the school provide a minimum of two years courses including general and specialized topics. He asked UNESCO to prepare a tender document for the establishment of the school. Mr Abdel Moneim expressed its satisfaction for the development of this project. He concluded that since training was one of NMEC’s major activities for the following year, he offered to host staff of the Nubia Museum to participate in the courses to be implemented for the NMEC staff.

39. The Director of UNESCO Cairo Office then raised the issue of expertise in conservation and the importance to upgrade the capacities in Egypt. He further pointed out the need to gather extensive documentation to be used as reference materials for further trainings. He concluded that the material from the training courses should be consolidated and used as a reference tool. The Secretariat replied that the joint UNESCO/ICOM publication Running a Museum will also be used as a working tool.

40. The Secretariat stressed that the training courses organised by ICOM for the Nubia Museum until 2001 never targeted “hands on” courses. In this context, the training courses organised in 2005 and 2006 by the Secretariat focused on theoretical and practical activities linked to conservation. The representative of Greece proposed that professionals from Greece come to Egypt to give workshops on stone, pottery, metal and wood conservation to the

11 NMEC and Nubia Museum staff . She further offered to host staff from NMEC in Greece for a one month training in stone conservation.

 Concerning the Documentation center and library

41. The representative of Switzerland agreed with the decision of the Egyptian authorities to transfer part of the artefacts of Nubian collections in storages throughout Egypt to the Nubia Museum in Aswan. He then requested further information on the documents purchased and collected for the Documentation Centre and library of the Nubia Museum, and if the bibliography on Nubian archaeology was made accessible on the web in order to share it with students abroad.

42. Mr Abdel Moneim mentioned that the original documents, maps and photographs on the Nubia Campaign had been moved from Shellal to the Nubia Museum. The Secretariat further stressed that the bibliography has been provided to the Egyptian authorities and that its digital version is on the UNESCO website.

43. Mr Jakobielski, representative of Poland, stressed that the documentation scattered around the world on Nubia would never be entirely gathered at the museum. Nevertheless the documentation available shall be made accessible to a large public. He agreed on the accessibility of the Nubia bibliography on the web. Regarding cooperation with Sudan, he suggested to include in the title of the Campaign, the establishment of the Nubia museum in Wadi Halfa. The Director of Cultural Heritage, outlined that the title of the International Campaign could not be changed since it was named by the General Conference.

 Concerning the catalogue of the Nubia Museum

44. The representative of Switzerland questioned on the publishing of the Nubia Museum’s catalogue. Mr Ayman Abdel Moneim mentioned that the reprinting of the catalogue was to be done by the Egyptian authorities and not in cooperation with UNESCO and would be made available in several languages. He further mentioned that it was revised by the Egyptian authorities and that the final proofs are currently under printing and will soon be ready for distribution.

45. Since the display of collections will be changed in the near future and additional artefacts will be added to the permanent collections, Mr Jakobielski stressed that in the future the catalogue will have to be updated according to the changes occurred in the museum collections and its display. Mr Abdel Moneim agreed on the above and underlined that upon completion of the museum’s renovation the catalogue would be updated and reprinted taking into the additional artifacts entered in the museum.

12 Closing Session

46. The 16th Session of the Executive Committee was closed by its Vice Chairman. Dr Hawass warmly thanked the Executive Committee for supporting the establishment of the NMEC and Nubia Museum and expressed his satisfaction in the work undertaken in the framework of the cooperation with Sudan.

47. Dr Z. Hawass then asked UNESCO to provide written information on the origin of the funds of the Special Account 402EGY9091. He stressed that, at several occasions, he had requested UNESCO to provide him with the above written information and that he had never received a clear reply including documents stating the origins of the funds and thus proving that it is a mutli-donor financed account.

48. The Chairman thanked all Members of the Executive Committee, the Egyptian authorities and the Secretariat for their work and fruitful debates. He warmly congratulated the achievements made by the Egyptian authorities and in particular the progress done in favor of the NMEC.

49. The meeting in Cairo was followed by the visit of the Nubia Museum in Aswan. The boat cruise on Lake Nasser from Aswan to Abu Simbel to visit the archaeological sites was canceled while in Aswan. The Chairman of the Executive Committee informed the participants of the change of programme few hours before the scheduled departure. The Executive Committee instead visited the sites of Kalabsha, Philae, the High Dam and Elephantine Island in Aswan and flew to Abu Simbel to visit the site.

13 The 16th Session of the Executive Committee adopted the following recommendations:

GENERAL PROVISIONS

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Executive Committee,

Acknowledging the work undertaken by the Secretariat,

Having taken note of the achievement obtained in the execution of the implementations of recommendations,

Noting that the budget allocated by the Committee for certain recommendation remain unused,

Recommends

That if not provided otherwise in the recommendations, there is no carry over of budget which remains either fully or partially executed from past recommendations.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Executive Committee,

Recalling recommendations 2 of the 15th Session,

Recalling the status of this Committee which centralize its Secretariat in Paris,

Acknowledging the importance to continue to provide assistance to the Secretariat in Paris for the implementation of the recommendations and in cooperation with the UNESCO Cairo office,

Recommends

 That an amount of about 83,000 US$ corresponding to a P1/4 ALD contract for one year to be allocated for 2007 and repeated until the opening of the museum foreseen at the end of 2009. That this assignment of limited duration be given on priority to the young professional (Ms Macdonald) presently assisting the Secretariat in the implementation of the recommendations of this International Campaign.

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 That the amount already decentralised to the UNESCO Cairo office within the framework of the recommendation 2 of the 15th Session (4,500 US$) be kept at the disposal of the UNESCO Cairo office in case assistance for implementation of activities decentralized is needed.

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Executive Committee,

Recalling recommendation 3 of the 14th session

Further recalling the rules of procedure of the Committee and the resolution of the 112 EXB /Decisions in 1981– Annex 1 – point 6.1,

Recommends

 The carry over of the remaining budget of US$15,000 allocated by the previous Committee session for supporting the organization of the next Committee and/or Bureau meeting and further add US$10,000 for this purpose.  To organize one Committee meeting and 2 or 3 Bureau meetings until the end of 2009  To use only three of the official languages of UNESCO (E/F/S) for the preparation of the official document, Arabic being taken care by the Egyptian authorities for translation of official documents, and E, F and Arabic for interpretation.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Executive Committee,

Felicitating the Egyptian authorities for the concrete achievements done during this Campaign,

Acknowledging the large amount of activities implemented by the Secretariat,

Stressing on the need to capitalize on the excellent results achieved,

Taking into consideration the good cooperation established between the Egyptian authorities and the Secretariat, as an example to repeat,

Recommends

 To envisage at the end of activities undertaken for the establishment of the two museums within the framework of this Campaign, the preparation of an evaluation report to be carried out jointly by the Secretariat and the Egyptian

15 authorities and be put to the attention of the Executive Committee at its final Session,

 To take into consideration the results achieved in the fields of museums by this Committee and promote them for the benefit of other countries and encourage the sharing of experiences in particular in the field of capacity building.

 The above to be done in particular within the forthcoming activities being proposed in the Cultural Commision (IV) at the 33th GC concerning the South- South cooperation in particular between Africa and Latin America and Caribbean and recalled by the UNESCO working Group 77 + China.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

EXPERTISE

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Executive Committee,

Recalling Recommendations 2, 3 and 7 of the 15th Session,

Congratulating the Egyptian authorities for the finalization of the architectural plan, the progress made in the construction of the building and the definition of the museological program,

Considering appropriate for UNESCO to continue to provide expertise to the Egyptian authorities in different fields of museums such as security, education, museology, archaeology, conservation, interior design, promotion, administration and financing, landscape architecture, etc…

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To continue developing the landscape plan including activities enhancing the image of the museum,

 To define the interior design brief as soon as possible,

 To finalize the conservation workshops and the storage areas to be ready for the entry of collections into the museum by the third part of 2007,

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UNESCO

 To continue assisting the Egyptian authorities to further develop the plan of the landscaping, to finalize the themes for the exhibition, to start defining the interior design brief, to revise the security plan, to devise the educational activities, to finalize the organizational chart, to prepare the preliminary brief for the research department, to plan the chantier des collections, etc..

 To make use of 140,000 US$ for providing further technical assistance to the Egyptians authorities.

CAPACITY BUILDING

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Executive Committee,

Recalling Recommendation 3 of the 15th Session,

Acknowledging that a 3 months short training course planned for the heads of departments of NMEC has been proposed by the UNESCO experts at their meeting in Paris in September 2006,

Taking note with appreciation of the production of a UNESCO/ICOM practical handbook and manual “Running a museum” already provided to the NMEC staff in Arabic and English,

Considering appropriate to enhancing and further develop the capacity building activities for the staff of the museum in particular in view of starting moving the collections inside the museum,

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To urgently complete appointing staff in key positions in order to start as soon as possible the functioning of different sections of the museum such as administration, conservation, promotion, exhibition, etc…and in order to start tutoring activities by the UNESCO experts,

17 UNESCO

 To complete the training on the Egyptian archaeology covering the modern and contemporary times,

 To develop the content of the 3 months training course for heads of departments in different fields of museum studies and implement it before the entry of collections in the museum,

 To make use an amount of 80,000US$ for this purpose for the implementation of the above

 Moreover that long term capacity building activities being developed in situ by UNESCO in the framework of the Special Account activities in favor of Egypt

DOCUMENTATION CENTRE

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Executive Committee,

Recalling recommendation 9 of the 14th Session and 3 of the 15th Session,

Taking into consideration the result of visit to the centre for the documentation if intangible heritage of Canada,

Having taken note that a project of collection of information concerning the living cultural heritage of Egypt has been achieved under the auspices of UNESCO,

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To further pursue collection of information about the living heritage of Egypt and start collecting ethnographical contemporary artifacts,

 To start devising methodologies on the digitalization of collected data on the living heritage and artifacts with the assistance of UNESCO,

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UNESCO

 To pursue in cooperation with Members of the Committee visits to already established documentation centers for intangible heritage in order to learn from successful experiences,

 To start making use as soon as possible of a data collection management tool for documentation and management of the collections of the museum in view also of the beginning of the "chantier des collections",

 At this purpose complete the activities foreseen in recommendation the 15th Session and therefore continue to make use of the 150,000 US allocated for their implementation.

PARTNERSHIP AND PROMOTION

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Executive Committee,

Recalling Recommendation 4 and 7 of the 15th Session,

Noting with satisfaction the presentation of NMEC by UNESCO in a stand at the Grand Palais in Paris within the context of the Egyptian exhibition on the Tresors engloutis d'Egypte ,

Congratulating the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities for the decision to include the stand of NMEC within the framework of Egyptian artifacts traveling exhibitions abroad,

Noting that the UNESCO web site concerning NMEC has been updated and that the Egyptian Government established the NMEC web site,

Having taken note that already contacts have been made by the Egyptians authorities and UNESCO with cultural institutions and museums in France, UK , Portugal, Canada, Iran, and are foreseen for Greece, etc…

Recommends

19 The Egyptian authorities

 To engage in further partnership activities with the museums already contacted and pursue a strategy for the establishment of long term cooperation,

 To capitalize on the result and experiences gained during the visits to museums and cultural institutions abroad and put at the disposal the lessons learnt on the web site,

UNESCO

 To further organize study visits in major museums of civilizations and ethnography with the aim to build join activities and exchange programs and learn from their experiences in their field of excellence,

 To explore possibilities of organizing a meeting of professionals working in similar museums, in order to establish and make a partnership network,

 To envisage the preparation of a publication in English and Arabic for the presentation of the museum,

 To assist the Egyptian authorities in promoting the NMEC in Egypt and abroad with the large public and professionals in the field of museums and at this purpose encourage the traveling of the stand on NMEC presently presented at the Grand Palais along with other exhibitions presented by the Egyptian Government. To this purpose include these activities within the framework of the agreement to be signed between Egypt and UNESCO on the use of the Special Account for Egypt.

 Make use of 60,000US$ out of 150,000US$ allocated by the Committee during the 15th session for this purpose

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THE NUBIA MUSEUM

PHASING OUT ACTIVITIES CONCERNING THE NUBIA MUSEUM

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Executive Committee,

Recalling Recommendation 1 of the 15th session concerning the phasing out of assistance to the Nubia museum and to carry out an appraisal report,

Noting that in 2007 the assistance given to the Nubia museum after its opening is reaching 10 years,

Noting with satisfaction that completion of activities in the field of conservation and the activities for the establishment of a documentation centre on Nubian studies are being carried out and staff is getting more knowledgeable on running a museum,

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To finalize as soon as possible activities approved previously by the Committee and on going, such as the production of the Museum catalogue, CDs and the DVD and distribute them to the Members of the Committee through the UNESCO Secretariat,

UNESCO

 To carry out at completion of activities foreseen at the end of 2007 the external evaluation mentioned in recommendation 1 of 15th session which shall include concrete recommendations for further needs, and also for the inclusion of activities in the UNESCO regular program, in particular of the UNESCO Cairo office,

 To look for extra-budgetary funds for sponsoring projects in particular of capacity building activities at the museum,

 To make use of a budget of 5,000US$ out of the 15,000US$ previously approved, to make the assessment evaluation

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DOCUMENTATION CENTRE OF NUBIAN STUDIES

RECOMMENDATION 2

Recalling Recommendation 2 of 15th session,

Having noted with satisfaction the progress made for the establishment of the centre and in particular the collection of documentation,

Being aware that the collection of documentation on activities undertaken and undergoing, could be never be fully exhaustive,

Having noted that consultancy service of a librarian to document on electronic support the materials collected and to train the staff on its use has been achieved,

Having noted that the refurbishment of the documentation centre and the library is on going,

Stressing on the need to empower the local staff to pursue the project,

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To designate staff for the centre,

 To start regular activities of the centre and open it to experts for consultation,

 To update the Nubia museum web site with information concerning the documentation centre,

 To start digitalizing the most important documents collected in order to make them available to researchers and at the same time conserve them,

UNESCO

 To complete the on going activities and therefore making use of the budget already allocated for this purpose (126,000 US) at the previous Committee Session and add 18,000US$ for their finalization.

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SUDAN

RECOMMENDATION 3

Recalling Recommendation 5 of the 15th session,

Acknowledging the excellent results of the UNESCO mission to Sudanese and Egyptian Nubia which brought to the signature of a MoU under UNESCO auspices, between the two countries,

Considering the need to reinforce the partnership between the two countries in the field of conservation and protection of cultural heritage in particular in the field of museums,

Noting that two Sudanese conservators attended the training course in Aswan museum in September 2005,

Noting with satisfaction the production of the joint exhibition on the Nubian archeology presently exposed at the Nubia museum in Egypt, exposed at UNESCO on the occasion of the Sudan day in November 2005 and exposed at the Khartoum museum in Sudan on the occasion of the African summit in Khartoum in January 2006,

Recommends

The Egyptian authorities

 To pursue cooperation with the Sudanese authorities in the field of museums and engage in joint activities between the Nubia museum and the National Museum in Khartoum also in view of the establishment of the Nubia museum in Wadi Halfa

UNESCO  To complete the on going activities on the conservation of the Nubian collection in Khartoum museum for which an amount of 30,000 US is to be used from the Trust Fund for this purpose until the end of the biennium.

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